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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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CzarPerryDD010
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography
54
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 11-17,5-8 WAC
69
Winner Seattle U SU 14-14,7-6 WAC
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
11-17,5-8 WAC
54
Final
69
Seattle U SU
14-14,7-6 WAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 25 29 54
Seattle U SU 25 44 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Redhawks Surge Past `Runners in Road Loss

SEATTLE – An even first half gave way to a lopsided second period as the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team fell behind the Seattle U Redhawks on Saturday night. The Roadrunners were unable to rally in the Western Athletic Conference road game and suffered a loss, 69-54, in the Redhawk Center.

"In the first half, I thought we did a better job on the defensive end," said Rod Barnes, Bakersfield's ninth-year Head Coach. "We didn't put a full 40 minutes together. They came out and made a push and I thought we did some things to sustain them…They have a guy in Terrell Brown who I think is the WAC Player of the Year and we didn't do a good enough job against him tonight."

The `Runners raced out to a strong start, building a 13-3 lead in the first six minutes thanks to stout defense and a persistent offense. SU quickly erased Bakersfield's advantage as the Redhawks answered with an 18-1 run to gain a 21-14 lead over the `Runners with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

CSUB responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Czar Perry steal and transition layup, which tied the score at 21-21 with less than five minutes in the period. The two teams battled to the end of the half and the game remained tied, 25-25, at halftime.

At the break, De'Monte Buckingham led a well-balanced offense with six points. CSUB saw seven different `Runners score points while Bakersfield's defense smothered an otherwise potent SU offense. The Redhawks only converted 30 percent of their field goal attempts including just 2-of-12 attempts from three-point range as the `Runners contested many of SU's shots.

CSUB came out of the locker room flat, missing two of their first six shots to start the second period. SU capitalized on Bakersfield's slow start, hitting 7-of-11 field goal attempts including a trio of three-pointers while building a 44-29 lead. The Redhawks grew their advantage to as many as 18 points at 51-33. CSUB drew within 12 points with less than five minutes remaining, but the `Runners were unable to close the gap and eventually fell by a final score of 69-54.

Perry, a junior guard from El Dorado, Ark., led all `Runners with 12 points while fellow juniors De'Monte Buckingham and Cam Allen chipped in 11 points apiece. Statistically, Bakersfield was relatively even with Seattle U in most categories with one big exception. The `Runners made 8-of-11 free throw attempts with the host Redhawks made 20-of-23 in the victory.

Despite the loss, CSUB (11-17, 5-8 WAC) is still in the thick of a fierce battle for seeding at the WAC Tournament. The `Runners are currently tied with Utah Valley for the sixth seed, but only two games separate CSUB and a three-way tie for the second seed.

Bakersfield has wrapped up its road trip and the team will head back to the Icardo Center for the final two home games of the season. The `Runners are set to host UT Rio Grande Valley and NM State in their final home games as members of the Western Athletic Conference. Tickets for these historic games are available ahead of time at GoRunners.com/tickets or at the box office on game day.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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